This is Your Life
by JBS-Forever
Summary: HIATUS Sometimes things just aren't meant to go right. This is Ponyboy's life. What else could go wrong? -features all remaining characters-
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I decided to re-write this first chapter a little differently, so I'm posting it again. The story starts out fast and with drama, so hang on while you can! Calms down in the next chapter and turns more towards the other characters as well.**

**Enjoy.**

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_The sunset was just at the part he liked. The colors were sinking into the clouds, turning them pink and purple. _

"_Nothing gold can stay." Johnny was next to him, sitting on the steps of the church. They watched in silence for another few moments before Ponyboy spoke._

"_Why are you here?" He asked. _

"_I'll always be part of you, Ponyboy," Johnny smiled at him. _

"_Seeing you in my dreams and then waking up to you gone ain't exactly the kind of feelings I need, Johnny," Ponyboy sighed._

"_Would you rather I left you alone?" _

"_I…I don't know…Just…why are you always here? Why are you only at the church and no where else?" _

"_Cause Ponyboy, this is-"_

"Darry!" Ponyboy groaned to himself. His brother Sodapop could be so loud sometimes and he just wanted to sleep. He wanted to figure out why he only saw Johnny at the church in his dreams. He was always interrupted just as Johnny was about to tell him.

"Ponyboy, wake up." He buried himself deeper in his pillow, trying to ignore it. Just as he was drifting back to sleep, he heard a new sound.

"Ponyboy." That was Darry's voice. He knew he'd have to get up now. He pulled himself through the last strings of unconsciousness and opened his eyes. He was shocked to find Darry and Soda looking at him with concern.

"Hey, you all right ?" Darry asked.

"Did I have a nightmare?" Pony asked in confusion, rubbing his eyes.

"No. Your nose's bleedin'." Pony scrunched his face.

"It is?"

"Yeah. It's runnin' down your neck. Got your shirt too." Pony brought his hand up to his nose and pulled it back to examine the blood.

"Why don't you go get cleaned up?" Darry suggested.

"How come you didn't wake me?" Pony asked Soda as he rolled off the bed.

"I tried," Soda's voice sounded off to him. "You wouldn't wake up so I called Darry."

"Oh," He replied. He stumbled out into the hallway and into the bathroom. He grabbed a bunch of toilet paper and shoved it over his nose, examining himself in the mirror. There sure was a lot of blood. He felt himself get woozy and took a few steps out of the bathroom.

He never usually had a problem with blood. Though, he wasn't sure he had actually seen this much coming from himself before. He had seen it when Johnny had been beat up. Even saw a lot of it at the rumble they went to. But this was a constant flow of thick red liquid.

He winced as his stomach lurched. Before Darry and Soda could make it out to the hallway where Pony was, his vision spun and he collapsed.

"Ponyboy!" Soda was at his side, but Darry was gently pushing him out of the way, kneeling in front of Ponyboy.

"I'm all right," Pony muttered.

"You dizzy?" Darry asked, putting a hand on his forehead. Ponyboy swatted his hand away, still holding the tissues over his nose.

"I'm fine," Pony laughed weakly, "Guess I'm not good with blood."

"Yeah," Darry said unsurely. "Well why don't you go on back to bed."

"But it's Saturday," Pony said in confusion. "You wanted me to help clean the kitchen."

"Don't worry 'bout it," Darry helped him up to his feet slowly, gently pushing him towards his room.

Ponyboy shrugged to himself and went back in, throwing himself down on the bed on his stomach, one hand still clutching the bloody tissues as he drifted off to sleep.

He awoke with a start a couple hours later. He could hear the TV going in the living room and the sound of Soda laughing. He took a deep breath and tried to still his racing heart; he wasn't sure what woke him, but he assumed it had been some kind of nightmare that he couldn't remember. He was on his back now, so he must have rolled over sometime during sleep. He groaned before realizing the tissues he had been holding were gone and he couldn't feel the dried blood on his face anymore. Then he realized that the sound on the TV had been turned down and Soda was quiet. He could hear footsteps approaching.

"Pone?" Soda stuck his head around the corner of the doorframe. "You ok?"

"Yeah," Pony said, running the back of his hand over his eyes and sitting up.

"Have a nightmare?" Soda asked, walking over towards him and throwing himself down on the bed, making Ponyboy bounce.

"I dunno," Pony shrugged. "Been a long time since those have come around, huh?"

"Yeah," Soda ruffled his hair and smiled. "Few months now, I think."

"Yeah," Pony agreed. It was the beginning of the school year, not long after the incident that had taken Ponyboy's best friend out of his life and had also taken another member of their gang. They didn't talk about it though. Not ever. Darry and Soda knew better, Two-Bit and Steve had grown to know better. Once, closer to the beginning of summer, Steve had mentioned Dally in a story he had been telling. Without warning, Pony completely lost it and through all the commotion had ended up breaking the lamp in the living room. They never mentioned Dally or Johnny around him after that.

"Any Curtis' here?" A voice rang through the house as the door slammed shut.

"Preferably the ones named after a horse and a drink?"

Soda rolled his eyes. Two-Bit and Steve were here. He slid off the bed, motioning for Ponyboy to be quiet. Pony watched in amusement as Soda crept towards the door and backed himself up against the wall, waiting for them to approach.

"Hey kid," Steve said, appearing in the doorway. "Soda around?"

Soda jumped out, flinging himself on Steve and tackling him to the ground. Two-Bit stood at the door, watching now with a smile on his face while Ponyboy laughed at his brother. Steve and Soda rolled around on the floor for a few seconds longer before Steve broke out the artillery and started tickling Soda's sides, pinning him to the floor.

Soda's laughter filled the room, making everyone smile. Soda had a laugh like no other; one that could make anyone happy. He laughed some more while he struggled and writhed on the floor, trying to break free.

"I surrender!" He gasped through more laughter. "I surrender!"

Steve smiled and stood up, pulling his best friend off the floor. Soda grinned and punched him lightly in the arm.

"Say, ain't it a bit late for you to be sleepin'?" Two-Bit asked Ponyboy, who was sitting cross legged on the bed, running a hand through his hair.

"What time is it?"

"Around noon."

"Maybe," Pony replied.

"Leave my kid brother alone, ya hear?" Soda came to his defense, biting back a smile. "If he wants to sleep till noon, then by golly he will sleep!"

"Amen!" Steve shouted.

Two-Bit raised his hands in mock surrender. "I give in. Just don't shoot!"

Before Ponyboy could connect shooting back to the incident, Steve quickly picked up the conversation, changing the subject. "Darry workin'?"

"Yeah," Soda said, seeming to notice the sudden change. Two-Bit cringed to himself, realizing his mistake.

"So what trouble we gettin' into today?" He asked happily.

"Actually," Steve interrupted. "We came over to see if you wanted to come drivin' with us. Got my car all fixed up. Two-Bit wants a race."

"A race you say?" Soda asked mischievously. "I'm down! Ponyboy, you wanna come?"

Ponyboy looked at Steve, waiting for him to roll his eyes or show some sign that he was annoyed with Soda for asking. But Pony always forgot that Steve had changed. He had grown to accept that if Soda wanted Ponyboy there, he could come.

"Well I dunno…"

"Come on, kid!" Two-Bit said excitedly. "You get to ride with me! We'll put these two into their places!"

"Yeah, right!" Steve countered. "I got a better engine then you. Bring it on."

"Whadday say?" Soda asked hopefully.

"Sure," Pony smiled.

* * *

"Go!" Soda shouted out the window. Steve and Two-Bit pushed the gas pedals of their cars down, speeding through the back roads they had decided to race on. Ponyboy was in the passenger's side of Two-Bit's car, watching as Steve slowly advanced forward while Soda was happily shouting things at him from the passenger side in Steve's car that Pony couldn't hear.

"C'mon, Two-Bit!" Pony shouted. "They're winnin'!"

Two-Bit switched gears and sped up, a look of determination on his face. The cars were neck and neck now, getting closer to the end of the road. Before anyone could pull more ahead, they turned back onto the main road, dropping down closer to the speed limit.

"Damn!" Two-Bit hit his steering wheel lightly. "We were so close!"

"Seemed pretty tied to me," Ponyboy said. "We need a longer stretch of road."

"Or a faster car," Two-Bit muttered, shifting. "We could just take the engine out of Steve's!"

"Yeah, we'll take his engine and then get the crap beat out of us. Seems worth it," Ponyboy said sarcastically.

"I'm glad you agree!"

Steve and Soda laughed, having pulled out first when they made it back onto the main road, so Two-Bit's car was behind them. From the rearview mirror, Steve could see Two-Bit and Ponyboy smiling and talking.

"Looks like we're about even," Soda said. "But man you fixed this car up good!"

"Hell, we ain't even. I didn't even reach full speed. We just ran out of road," Steve complained.

"Rematch?" Soda suggested, smiling evilly.

"Oh, definitely." Steve looked in the rearview mirror again as they sped past the local Socs bar, Two-Bit's car close behind. Right before he was about to look away, it happened. A car that was traveling quickly pulled out onto the road without bothering to stop, slamming directly into Two-Bit's car, sending them spinning sideways with a loud crunching sound.

"Shit!" Steve shouted, slamming on the breaks. Soda looked into the side mirror and saw the damaged car come to a halt.

"NO!" He flung open his door and ran towards them, Steve pulling the keys from his own car and doing the same.

It was just a race. Just something they had been doing for fun. It was supposed to be a good time, Soda thought to himself, this couldn't be happening.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey Darry, Ponyboy and Two-Bit are at the hospital. They got in a car accident. Soda's here with me. They're about to be checked out and we're takin' em' home. Meet us there if you can."

Steve hung up the payphone and walked back over to Soda, who was standing with his back against the wall, lightly drumming his fingers. He glanced up at Steve as he approached.

"What's the news?" Steve asked.

"They're in the back. Doc said he needs one more look and then they can leave."

"What's the damage?"

"Ponyboy suffered most of the impact. Doc says he has a broken wrist, gash in his leg, some bruisin' on his face, and some small cuts. Two-Bit has some bruisin' and small cuts too."

"Shit man," Steve sighed. "Lucky to be alive if you ask me."

"Yeah," Soda sighed deeply. "Yeah."

"You all right?" Steve asked, examining him closely.

"Yeah," Soda smiled. "Just shaken is all."

"I dig," Steve nodded. "It was pretty scary."

"You call Darry?"

"Yup. Told him to meet us back at the house."

Soda nodded and ran his hands through his hair. "Two-Bit's car…"

"It's totaled," Steve confirmed his fear sadly.

"Aw hell," Soda moaned.

"Don't worry buddy," Steve put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll work this out."

* * *

Darry sped home. His mind was racing quickly. Steve hadn't told him what happened when he called from the hospital. He figured if they had been able to take Ponyboy and Two-Bit home though, it couldn't have been that bad.

He parked the truck and hurried to the house. When he opened the door, he saw Soda sitting on the couch watching the TV with the sound down. He looked tired.

"Where is he?" Darry asked, letting the door slam. Soda looked up at him.

"Shh," He put a finger to his lips and stood up, motioning him forward. "He's sleepin'."

Darry followed Soda towards Pony's room, where he quietly opened the door, letting Darry look inside. Ponyboy was on his back, sound asleep. His left arm was covered in a green cast that went halfway up to his elbow. There was a dark bruise around his eye and another on the opposite cheek. His uninjured hand lay across his stomach, revealing small cuts that covered his skin.

Darry let out a breath and closed the door.

"What happened?" He asked Soda as they headed back towards the living room.

"A car came outa nowhere and blindsided him and Two-Bit. Cops think the driver was drunk. Hit Ponyboy's side and sent them flyin'."

"Where's Two-Bit?"

"He's at home with Steve. Sleepin' now. He was really shaken up."

"How's Ponyboy doin'?" They sat down on the couch, Soda running a hand through his hair like he had so many times before.

"I dunno, Dar."

"What do you mean?" Darry asked in concern, eyeing his younger brother carefully.

Soda sighed, letting the breath draw on his lips. "He was quiet. They had him on a lot of stuff though for the pain."

Darry nodded in understanding. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He's strong."

Soda stood up, rubbing his eyes. "He can only be strong for so long 'fore he breaks."

* * *

Ponyboy moaned and shifted in his sleep. Soda pushed himself up on one elbow and looked at him. He had been moaning for the past half an hour, keeping Soda on edge with worry. It was getting later and Ponyboy had been asleep for a long time.

"Pone?" Soda whispered, testing to see if he was awake.

"Yeah?" Pony mumbled.

"You all right?"

Ponyboy made a noise, but didn't say anything. Soda assumed he had fallen back asleep. He decided to close his eyes as well, and found himself drifting within a few moments.

Ponyboy woke again at midnight, his head throbbing. He groaned to himself, sitting up. Soda was fast asleep next to him. He quietly slid off the bed, tiptoeing out of the room. He stumbled through the dark hallway, trying to get to the kitchen. The pain in his head made him unsteady. He hit the couch in the living room and tripped, falling to his knees.

"Ouch," He muttered to himself, grabbing the couch with his good arm and pulling himself up. He found the light switch in the kitchen and flipped it on, instantly regretting it when the light made his head throb again.

He grabbed a glass and filled it with water, taking a sip of the cool liquid. He opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle of Aspirin, pouring some into his hand and popping them in his mouth, following them down with another drink of water.

"Ponyboy?"

He jumped and turned around, letting out a breath when he saw Darry standing in the kitchen.

"Did I wake you?"

"No," Darry said. He eyed the Aspirin bottle as Pony put it back in the drawer, closing it. "Arm hurtin'?"

"Head," Pony said simply, rubbing his temple.

"How you feelin'?" Darry asked.

"All right," Pony said, taking a few steps forward. Being as unsteady as he was, he hit Darry's foot, falling again. Darry caught him around the waist and pulled him up.

"Sorry," Pony whispered.

"It's ok," Darry helped him over to the couch. "Why don't you sit here for a minute? I'll get you some water."

"Ok," Pony agreed. Darry stood up and went back to the kitchen, grabbing the glass that Pony had been drinking from and added some more water. When he went back to the couch, he discovered Ponyboy had leaned over and was now fast asleep. He smiled and set the glass down on the coffee table, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch and draping it over Pony. He turned the light off in the kitchen before he sat down in his recliner chair, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.

Soda awoke alone. He hadn't felt Ponyboy leave the bed while he was sleeping and the moment of noticing him gone brought about panic. But then he remembered that Ponyboy wasn't crippled. He could walk, which meant he could certainly get out of bed. But just to be safe, he would make sure he knew where Ponyboy was. He sat up and looked at the clock. It was nearly six in the morning. He groaned and set his feet on the floor, slowly making his way out into the hallway.

He looked to his left first, into the bathroom to see if Ponyboy was there. Then he looked to his right, spying Ponyboy laying on the couch. The TV was on in front of him, but no sound was playing and he was fast asleep. There were also quiet noises coming from the kitchen. Soda glanced over and spotted Darry making breakfast.

"Mornin'," Soda greeted as he walked into the kitchen.

"Mornin'," Darry shot him a long glance. "Ain't it a bit early for you to be up?"

Soda shrugged and went to the fridge, pulling out a carton of chocolate milk and taking a swig from it. "Woke up and Ponyboy was gone, so I came out to see where he was."

He put the carton back and shut the door as Darry spoke. "Ah. Yeah, he came out here at midnight. Was stumblin' around. Said his head hurt and then tripped over my foot and fell. I just let him sleep on the couch. He's exhausted."

"Poor kid," Soda sighed. "You makin' him go to school tomorrow?"

"If he feels better. He can't miss too many days though. State starts getting suspicious."

Soda nodded, watching him cook as he leaned against the counter. "Think they'll come research this?"

"No," Darry said, untroubled. "They called yesterday to check up on him. They got the police report. Said there's nothin' to worry about as long as we keep him in good condition."

Ponyboy moaned from the couch and both Darry and Soda stopped what they were doing, looking over at him for a quiet moment. He rolled onto his side, his arm dangling off the couch.

"I wonder if he's in pain," Soda voiced the thought that was worrying him.

"Me too, little buddy. He's been makin' sounds for a while."

Soda walked over to the couch and knelt down in front of it, putting a hand on Ponyboy's shoulder.

"Pone?" He asked quietly.

"Soda," Darry chided from the kitchen. "Don't wake him."

"Oh relax, Dar. I'm just checkin' to make sure he's ok."

Darry rolled his eyes while Soda tried again. "Hey, Pony?"

"Hmm?" Pony hummed sleepily, not opening his eyes.

"You all right? In any pain?" Darry stopped what he was doing to listen from his spot.

"Yeah," Pony mumbled. "Hurts."

"Soda," Darry called. Soda looked up and then caught the object Darry had thrown him. "I got his prescription. Medicine for the pain. There's a glass of water behind you."

"How many does he take?" Soda asked as he uncapped the bottle.

"Two."

"Here Pone," Soda said, handing him the glass and the pills. Pony half opened his eyes to take them and give the glass back before closing them again.

"Why's he so tired?" Soda asked, heading back into the kitchen.

"Dunno. Guess it just took a lot out of him," Darry shrugged. Ponyboy moaned again, this time loudly and in frustration.

"You guys are so loud," He muttered to himself, sitting up on the couch and ruffling his hair.

"Sorry Pone," Darry said. "Want some breakfast?"

"Yes please," Ponyboy stood up quickly and then sat back down again, putting a hand on his forehead.

"Ponyboy?" Soda asked, getting ready to walk over to him.

"I'm fine," Pony insisted, standing again more slowly. "Head rush."

"How's the arm?" Darry questioned when he got to the table.

"Broken," Ponyboy shrugged.

"Nice sarcasm!" Soda laughed. "I give ya a ten."

"Thanks," Ponyboy sat down. "It's fine, Dar. I've had worse."

"How about the leg?" Darry asked, setting a plate of food in front of him.

"Will you quit worryin'?" Ponyboy huffed in annoyance. "I'm fine."

"Will you quit actin' like a teenager?" Darry countered in good nature. "I'm only askin'."

Ponyboy smiled to himself and started eating. He could handle a broken arm and some stitches in his leg. Annoying and over protective brothers though…that was a different story. Besides, Ponyboy thought to himself, what else could go wrong?


	3. Chapter 3

"Pone, what's the matter?" Soda finally asked into the darkness of their room. Ponyboy had been tossing and turning for the past half an hour.

"Can't sleep," Pony moaned. Soda sat up and leaned over him, turning on the desk light. Pony rolled over and faced him, rubbing his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Ponyboy lifted his cast up.

"Arm hurts?"

He shook his head. "It's annoying. And it itches!"

"Hang on," Soda bounced off the bed and sprinted from the room. He came back a moment later with a fork, handing it over to Ponyboy.

"Use that."

Ponyboy slid the fork under his cast carefully and let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks."

"No prob," Soda pulled the covers up and laid down. "Now go to sleep."

Ponyboy set the fork on the nightstand and turned off the light. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

"Hey Pone," A voice and hand on his back coaxed him awake sometime later.

"Hmm?" He hummed tiredly. He felt like he had just fallen asleep.

"How're you feelin'?" He opened his eyes and let out a yawn, rolling over to face Darry.

"I'm fine."

"You wanna go to school today?" Darry asked, putting on his work belt.

"No one _wants_ to go to school," Pony muttered.

"Then let me rephrase," Darry said patiently. "Are you _going _to school today?"

"Do I have to?" Pony sat up, stretching his arms out.

"No," Darry stopped short of himself, noting the sarcasm on his younger brother's face. "Yes, you do. Now get up and get ready, kiddo."

Ponyboy smiled. "Yes sir," He saluted, rolling off the bed. Darry rolled his eyes and followed him out of the room.

"Soda," Darry called as Pony closed the bathroom door. "You're gonna be late if you don't hurry!"

"Nope," Soda said happily, emerging from the kitchen. "I'm right on time."

"That's unusual," Darry noted.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Soda patted him on the back. "See ya Pone!"

"Bye Soda," Pony responded from the shower.

"Later Dar," Soda said at the doorway.

"Later," Darry waved him goodbye, moving to yell through the bathroom door. "Pone, your ride will be here soon. Better hurry." The water turned off and Ponyboy came out in a towel a moment later.

"Shit Pony," Darry said, looking at his cut arms. "You didn't get your cast wet, did you?"

"No. But I need to change this," Ponyboy said, pulling up his towel to show the bandage on his thigh.

"Need help?" Darry asked.

"Nah, but I could use it." Darry resisted the urge to smack him and pushed him towards the couch, grabbing a new bandage and the cleaning stuff he needed. Ponyboy peeled off the old bandage and let Darry take over. He winced when Darry poured the cleaner on his wound, but didn't say anything. Darry finished up and Ponyboy thanked him, hurrying to his room to get ready. Darry grabbed his stuff and looked at the clock.

"I gotta go, Pone," He called out. Just as he was opening the door, Pony stuck his head into the hallway.

"Dar?"

"Yeah?" Darry stopped.

"I…um…I can't fit my arm into my coat," He said sheepishly.

"In my closest on the left," Darry held back a smile.

"Thanks!" Ponyboy bolted away. He heard the door close and opened Darry's closet, looking to the left. He grabbed the coat off the hanger and then froze. Another coat was hanging in there, the same color as the one Dally had given Ponyboy to wear.

"_Stay gold, Ponyboy."_

"_Ponyboy!"_

"_He gave me this letter and half his pay check to give you. Kid, you ought to see Darry. He's takin' this mighty hard…"_

_"For Pete's sake, get outa there! That roofs gonna cave in any minute. Forget those blasted kids!"_

"Ponyboy?"

Ponyboy gripped the material tighter in his hands, staring at the coat. He felt someone touch his shoulder and broke his gaze away.

"Hey, you all right?" It was Two-Bit. Ponyboy hadn't seen him since the accident. He had scrapes on his face and ones on his arms just like Ponyboy did. It was Two-Bit, whoever, who seemed shocked.

"Damn Pony…I didn't know your face was bruised that bad."

"It's not that bad," Pony said honestly. "Just like a black eye."

"And like someone punched you in the jaw," Two-Bit led him from the room. "What were you doin' anyway?"

"Gettin' a coat. Can't fit my cast in mine," Ponyboy raised his arm to make a point. He expected Two-Bit to crack a joke, but his friend merely looked away. Ponyboy dropped his arm and remembered that Soda had mentioned Two-Bit was really shaken up.

"You know, it ain't your fault. What happened, I mean…" Ponyboy looked up at him, but he still didn't say anything. Steve was in the living room waiting, messing with the TV. He glanced at the two as they walked into the room and then looked back at the screen.

"Nice shiner, kid," He commented.

"Nice face," Pony muttered back. Two-Bit cracked a smile and flung an arm around Pony's shoulder.

"To school we go!"

* * *

"Have a nice day," Soda said. The door to the DX closed and he sighed to himself, running a hand through his hair. It was getting close to lunch time and for that he was grateful. His stomach had been growling at him forever.

The bell rang again as someone entered the door and Soda held back a grin at the two blonde girls who entered. They came in almost every week to pretend to look at things, but Soda knew they were there to flirt.

"Hi Soda!" One of them said. He dug through his memory. Her name was Alison, her friend's name was something like Elizabeth.

"Why hello there," Soda said, tipping his hat. The girls giggled and walked over to one of the shelves. Soda smiled and watched them, leaning forward onto his elbow.

"Can I help you find somethin'?" He asked smoothly. They both blushed and shook their heads.

"Say Sodapop," Elizabeth said. "What's a cute boy like you doin' workin' all the time? Don't you got a girlfriend to be with?"

"Well that depends," Soda winked. "What're you doin' later?"

Elizabeth and Alison grabbed each other's arms, laughing and blushing more then before. Soda knew he had done his job.

"See ya around Soda," Alison smiled. The girls headed towards the door and Elizabeth looked back one more time. Soda made a phone with his hand and mouthed "call me". She giggled and ran out the door. Soda laughed to himself and stood up fully, fixing a few items on the shelf behind him. The door opened again and he glanced over to see a man in his mid 40's walk in.

"Can I help you?" Soda asked. The man appeared to be thinking as he walked towards the counter.

"I need an oil change…" He started, still thinking.

"Anythin' else?" Soda asked helpfully.

"Yeah," The man said slowly, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a gun. "All your money."

Soda froze. He had been warned about stuff like this happening, but never told what to do. He raised his hands in surrender, deciding he didn't wanna risk his life over this. Besides, there wasn't more than fifty dollars in the register.

"All right. I ain't lookin' for trouble," He said, opening the register drawer and pulling out the money. The man snatched the money and counted it quickly, swearing.

"This is all you've got?" He yelled angrily. Soda kept his cool.

"You know, I ain't sure fifty dollars is worth goin' to jail over. If you give it back, we can pretend none of this ever happened."

"Fifty dollars might not be. But killin' you might be worth it."

Soda gulped and closed his eyes.

* * *

People had been giving Ponyboy looks all day. The story of the car crash had been printed in the paper, but not much had been said. Some people asked him what happened, others just whispered and pointed. The cast on his arm was becoming irritating again. Some friends asked if they could sign it, but Ponyboy had declined their offers. He didn't want writing all over it; he didn't want it at all.

Two-Bit was acting weird. Steve was going on as though nothing was unusual, but Ponyboy couldn't ignore it. He caught Steve at the beginning of lunch and questioned him.

"Why is Two-Bit so shaken up?" He asked, walking with him towards the front of the school.

"Hell kid, he thought he killed you," Steve said, adding under his breath, "Again."

"Oh," Pony replied. He stopped at the steps and waited for Two-Bit, his mind swirling.

"_He thought he killed you." _

"_Two-Bit came blubberin' over here with some tale about how you were running a fever before the rumble and how it was all his fault you were sick. He was pretty torn up that night."_

"_You feel okay? You're awful hot."_

"_Today's Tuesday, and you've been asleep and delirious since Saturday night."_

"Earth to Ponyboy!" He felt someone shake him roughly. Two-Bit. He pulled himself away quickly.

"Jeeze, Two-Bit," He complained. "No need to shake me to death."

"Death would be lucky to have you." Ponyboy ignored his comment.

"Damn Pony," Two-Bit led him towards his car. "Where is your head today?"

"Windrixville," Pony muttered, opening the door and getting in. Two-Bit froze for a brief second before starting the engine.

"So wadda want to eat today?" Two-Bit asked, turning up the radio.

"Food," Pony said. Unlike Darry or Steve who would take note of his sarcasm, Two-Bit played it off, laughing.

"Food it is!"

When Ponyboy got home from school later, he found the house empty, which was unusual because Soda should've been off work. He didn't pay any mind to it. Steve was getting on shift, so he figured Soda was just hanging out with him. He flung his backpack onto the table; He'd do some homework while he had peace and quiet. But before he sat down, he headed to the bathroom to get his pain meds. His leg had started hurting an hour before class was over and he had wanted to skip, but knew Darry would be mad. He popped a few pills in his mouth and headed back to the table to start on his history assignment.

An hour passed with no sign of Soda. Ponyboy had finished most of his homework and decided to watch TV. This was one of those days that no one came around until Darry was home. Usually he would go and do something, but his annoying cast put him in a bad mood and he wanted nothing more then to lounge around. In the middle of an episode of Mickey Mouse, the phone rang. Ponyboy rolled off the couch and walked over to it, picking it up off the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Ponyboy," It was Steve. His voice sounded strained, like something was wrong. Ponyboy stopped breathing.

"Steve? What is it?"

"Darry is on his way home from work. Pony, you need to tell him to go to the DX right away."

"Why? What happened?"

"There's been a robbery. Soda is being held up inside. Cops are here and tryin' to negotiate. Just…get Darry here as fast as you can."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews. I was worried people would stop reading my stories after my last one ended. **

**Not sure if cops would actually allow this, but just pretend for the sake of this story. **

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Ponyboy paced back and forth, reminding himself that Soda could talk his way out of anything. He had always been able to. He always would be able to. Soda wasn't a child anymore. He was 17. He certainly had enough years on his plate to keep himself out of danger…he hoped. When Darry arrived ten minutes later, he nearly flung himself to his older brother.

"Whoa, Pony. Chill a little. I'm sore," He said. But Pony didn't stop. He grabbed Darry, pulling him out the door while mumbling about what happened. Darry finally stopped him at the bottom of the stairs, grabbing his shoulders and spinning him around.

"Deep breath," He instructed. Pony took a fast breath. "Now talk."

Pony explained the phone call as fast as he could without stumbling over his words. Darry must have understood, because a moment later he was rushing towards the truck, Pony in tow. They climbed in and soon were barreling down the road.

The DX wasn't far away from their house. It was within walking distance, but Darry and Pony didn't want to waste time. When they arrived, there were two cop cars outside, lights flashing. A group of people had gathered to watch and one of them was running towards them the moment they stepped from the truck.

"Steve," Darry hurried to him. "What happened?"

"Some guy was tryin' to rob the DX. Now he won't leave. Has a loaded gun and won't put it down. Soda's stuck inside, tryin' to get him to listen."

"Is he hurt?" Darry asked quickly.

"I dunno," Steve sighed.

"Why don't they shoot him?" Pony wondered aloud. Steve and Darry looked at him. Pony glanced up, realizing his mistake. "I meant the guy with the heater."

"Yeah. I know what you meant, kiddo," Darry said. "Stay here. I'm gonna go talk to someone."

Ponyboy watched him go. Inside, he could faintly see something move. In his mind he saw a hostage situation like on television shows. He imagined the man holding the gun to Soda's head while Soda gripped his arm, silently begging him not to shoot. He could picture the fury and panic in the man's eyes, realizing that no matter what he did he was going to jail.

"Knock it off!" Steve said, smacking him upside the head.

"What?" Pony asked in confusion, rubbing the spot that had been hit.

"You don't need to be thinkin' like that, kid. He ain't gonna die."

Ponyboy hadn't realized he had been talking aloud. At least, that must have been what happened. He saw Darry nodding as he talked to a police officer and then he pulled off his shirt. The officer threw something at him and he slid it on, putting his shirt back over it. A vest. Darry was going in.

"Darry, no!" Ponyboy shouted, racing towards him. But Steve caught him, grabbing him around the waist and pulling him back. Ponyboy struggled against him, but Steve kicked his legs out and threw him to the ground, pinning him there.

"Damn it, Pony! Stop!" Steve shouted. "Let him do what he needs to do!"

"Fine," Pony grumbled. Steve jumped to his feet and pulled Ponyboy up. They walked closer to the building, trying to watch what was happening.

Inside, Darry was slowly creeping forward. He couldn't see Soda, but he could see the man with the gun. He had it aimed towards something and put his finger on the trigger the moment Darry stepped through the door.

"Get out!" The man shouted. Darry raised his hands, showing he was unarmed.

"I ain't lookin' for a fight," Darry said.

"Then leave," The man growled. "Or I'll shoot him."

"Shoot who?" Darry asked. The man pointed with is gun to something behind the counter. Darry took a sidestep and leaned out, trying to catch a glimpse. He saw someone laying on the ground, surrounded by broken glass. His brother. He stood straight up and took a deep breath.

"Looks like you've already hurt him. What else can you do?" Darry questioned.

"Kill him," The man cocked the gun threateningly.

"And then spend life in jail? Sounds like a good plan."

"Shut the hell up. I ain't asking for your opinion. Now get out."

"Let me give you a better option," Darry pointed at a window behind him. "See that window? There's a cop outside, aimin' at you. You can either walk away now, or face gettin' shot."

The man glared and turned to look out the window for the cop. Darry saw his chance. He dove forward, tackling the man to the ground. He was no match for Darry. The cops outside swarmed in and took control, keeping the man down and throwing his gun aside. They patted Darry on the back, but Darry ignored them, jumping the counter to get to his brother.

"Soda," He said, putting a hand on his back. Soda moved his head and looked up at him, giving a small grin.

"Hey Dar," He said softly. He went to move, but Darry stopped him.

"Sit still a minute, little buddy," Darry said as a police officer came around the counter to help. They got Soda up slowly and brushed him off. Besides a small cut on his face from the glass, he wasn't injured. The officer questioned Soda, wondering what happened.

Soda explained how the man came in demanding all the money. When he discovered there wasn't much, he became angry. He threatened Soda, telling him he'd shoot him if he couldn't get more. When the cops arrived, Soda wasn't sure how, the man panicked and decided he couldn't leave. He would take Soda as a hostage to keep the police out while he thought of something to do. Soda talked to him, keeping him calm so he wouldn't shoot. One of the cops had startled him though, causing the man to push Soda, sending him crashing into the glass of the counter. When he landed on the ground, the man forced him to stay there, threatening to shoot again.

"How'd you get in, Dar?" Soda asked, coming to the closing point of his story.

"Made a deal with the cops. I would go in whether or not they let me, so they couldn't disagree."

Soda smiled, but Darry could tell he was shaken. "Can I take him home?" He asked the officer.

"Yeah, we got his statement. He's good to go."

Soda hopped off the counter where he had been sitting and let Darry lead him outside. Steve tackled him into a hug the moment he stepped out, pushing him back and then punching him playfully.

"Glory Soda, make me a nervous wreck why don't you?" Steve laughed in relief.

"All right," Soda smiled, dodging another blow from Steve. Ponyboy was next, attacking Soda with a much more gentle hug. A more caring hug. Soda wrapped his arms around him and held him closely for a moment that seemed to last forever, but was only a few seconds. They were both shaken and scared, and two brothers with as close as relationship as they had only needed to be around each other to feel better.

"Don't worry, Pone," Soda said once they pulled away. "Your big bro is just fine."

"I ain't worried about Darry," Pony smiled. "He's made like a rock."

"Thanks kid," Darry chimed in sarcastically.

"Hey, at least you ain't made like puddin' like Steve here," Soda motioned towards him, ducking again to avoid getting hit.

"All right you two," Darry chided in good nature. "Let's get home. It's been a long day."

* * *

Soda was shaken. It wasn't hard to see, even through his normal happy-go-lucky attitude. When Darry closed the cupboard with a bang, Soda jumped. When Ponyboy smacked his cast on the table, Soda flinched. When Darry and Ponyboy asked if he was all right, Soda lied; And lied badly at that. He had never been good at lying. He turned in early, but Ponyboy stayed awake, voicing his concerns to Darry.

"Well, what do you expect?" Darry asked, though he was worried as well. "Don't worry, Pone. He'll be ok. Just needs time to calm down."

Later that night when Darry was about to fall asleep, he heard a strangled gasp. Seconds later, the sound of Ponyboy calling him filled the house. Thinking Pony had a nightmare, he rushed to his room. It wasn't Ponyboy he found in distress though. It was Soda. Soda never had nightmares. Never. And the fact that he had one certainly scared Ponyboy and Darry.

This was Sodapop. And he was always fine.


	5. Chapter 5

**First all, thanks for the reviews! I know you're out there reading this, so any comment is very much appreciated. Also, can someone help me find a story? All I remember about it is Ponyboy is lost in the woods trying to get to a river I believe. Soda and Darry are with a search party trying to find him. He's hurt too, I think he walked out of the hospital and got on a bus? I can't remember. If someone can find it, I will love you forever!**

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**Last thing, I'm not really liking this story cause I read over it and realized how out of character my characters are. I'm gonna try to work them back into place, but I'm not sure how much I can do now. I hope they aren't annoyingly out of character too much. **

**Thanks for reading =)**

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Soda didn't go to work the next day. His boss had given him the day off and he gladly took it. Ponyboy and Darry had gotten him calmed down quickly after his nightmare, something they never had to do before. Now Ponyboy knew how both his older brothers felt when he had bad dreams. Soda remembered his dreams though. He dreamt he had been shot through the chest during the robbery and swore he felt the pain from it, which was why he jolted awake. Darry had assured him he was fine and everyone had gone to sleep soon after.

Except for Ponyboy. For the longest time, he laid awake listening to Soda's breathing, thinking about what would have happened if he had lost him. For the most part, Ponyboy didn't sleep that night, just laid close to his older brother and counted his blessings.

He grumbled when he got up in the morning, so tired that he tripped over Soda's shoes and fell into his desk. Soda mumbled from the bed, telling Ponyboy to be quiet, and Ponyboy rolled his eyes, rubbing his foot while hopping out to the hall. He sniffed and ran his hand along his nose, catching something out of the corner of his eye. He brought his hand back up and stared at it in momentary shock; it was covered in blood. In a daze, he reached back towards his nose, feeling the blood coming out. He tried to walk towards the bathroom, but his legs gave way and he fell onto his hands and knees, watching the blood drip onto the carpet.

"Ponyboy, you better be up!" He heard Darry yell from the kitchen. He parted his lips to speak, but no sound came out. The blood just poured over them. He knew that if Darry didn't hear him coming out of the room, he'd come to wake him up. And just like expected, he was there a few seconds letter.

"Ponyboy!" Darry called. His voice moved from annoyance to worry and suddenly he was lifting Pony's head up, looking at his face. He dragged Ponyboy up to his feet, half carrying him to the bathroom where he had him sit on the closed toilet seat. He grabbed some toilet paper and had Ponyboy hold it over his nose.

"What happened?" He asked. Ponyboy blinked through his hazed feeling.

"Darry?" He questioned weakly.

"Yeah, little buddy?" Darry's voice sounded concerned.

"I'm gonna be sick."

Darry grabbed him and moved him quickly, opening the toilet seat. Darry sat on the edge of the tub while Ponyboy heaved everything out of his stomach, which ended up being more stomach acid then anything else. The bile and blood dripped from his nose, making Ponyboy moan.

"Gross," He muttered. Darry handed him a towel and he wiped his face. His nose was no longer bleeding, but the excess blood was caked to his skin. He felt his stomach lurch again and gagged. He took a deep breath and sat back on his heels, swallowing hard.

"You all right?" Darry asked. Ponyboy nodded as Darry stood and took the towel from him, getting it wet under the sink. He handed it back to Ponyboy and picked up his bloody tissues, tossing them in the trash.

"Well, looks like you're stayin' home today," Darry noted as Ponyboy cleaned up his face.

"Why?"

Darry shot him a look, examining him closely. "I'm gonna take you to a doctor tomorrow."

"No," Ponyboy shook his head. 'I'm fine, Dar. Promise."

Darry let out a sigh. "You're stayin' home at least."

"Kay'," Pony breathed, sniffing again. He was starting to feel better anyway, but didn't mind missing school. Besides, it's not like he liked school. The only person crazy enough to do that was Two-Bit. He wasn't doing anything important in his classes anyway. But then it hit him. Darry must really be worried to make him stay home from school. Usually he was making Ponyboy go. He didn't like him missing school, especially with the State watching them.

Ponyboy shrugged it off. He knew he was fine. It was the blood that was making him sick. He got to his feet unsteadily and grabbed the counter as his head spun. Darry watched him, getting ready to move to help, but Ponyboy waved him off. He slowly left the bathroom and stopped outside in the hall, realization dawning on him.

"I gotta go to school today," He said, his head starting to become more clear.

"Why's that?" Darry asked, walking to the kitchen. Ponyboy followed him, trying to stick a finger under his cast to scratch an itch.

"I got a test in history," He muttered, concentrating on getting the one spot.

Darry rolled his eyes and handed him a fork. "Make it up tomorrow."

Ponyboy shook his head, maneuvering the fork carefully. "Mr. Holloway doesn't let you make up tests. He gives another assignment that's always a lot harder."

"That doesn't seem fair. What if you were sick or had someone die?"

"Simple," Ponyboy pulled the fork out and tossed it on the table. "You get over it."

Darry sighed, glancing at the clock. He was running late. "Fine. Go. Two-Bit'll be here in a few, so you'd better hurry."

"On it," Ponyboy said, racing towards his room. Darry grabbed his stuff and yelled out goodbye, running into Two-Bit at the door.

"Mornin' Superman," Two-Bit said, pretending to tip an invisible hat.

"Yeah, listen Two-Bit," Darry said quickly and quietly. "Keep an eye on Ponyboy today. I found him this mornin' in the hallway with a bloody nose and then he puked. Just make sure he's ok, got it?"

"Yeah, 'course," Two-Bit said seriously. "I'll watch over him."

"Thanks," Darry patted his shoulder, stepping past him. "See ya later."

"Come on, Pone!" Two-Bit called as the door closed. "We're gonna be late to that wonderful place where you learn stuff!"

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Ponyboy sighed as he pretended to read his science book. The teacher's voice drowned on and on, making him zone out further. He had done well on his history test, but now he wanted to go home. He regretted not getting enough sleep the previous night.

He let out a tired yawn and glanced at his book, trying to catch where he was supposed to be. He noticed a red splotch covering one of the words and scrunched his face in confusion. He didn't recall seeing that before. He tried to wipe it away, but it smeared across the sentence. it was fresh and another drop accompanied it. Ponyboy knew what that meant.

"Aw hell," He muttered to himself. His nose was bleeding. He put one hand over it and raised the other, making the teacher stop mid-sentence.

"Yes Ponyboy?" She asked. Everyone in the class turned to look at him and he shrunk back in his seat.

"Can I be excused?" He asked meekly. She must have noticed the blood pouring from his fingers because she grabbed a bunch of tissues and handed them to him, telling him to go to the nurse's office. He could hear the snickers of the Socs in class as he left the room.

"Stupid nose," He grumbled as he headed down to the nurse. She stopped the bleeding, asking Ponyboy if he had been in a fight. He told her that he hadn't, his nose had just started bleeding in the middle of class. She seemed pleased with this answer, but worried at the same time.

"I'm gonna call Darrel and have him pick you up," She said.

"Wait," Ponyboy stopped her. "He's at work. My other brother Sodapop is home. Can he come get me?"

"I'm really not supposed to do that, Ponyboy."

"Please?" He begged. "Darry really needs the hours. He can't afford to miss work. Besides, you know Soda. You can trust him."

She sighed and seemed to ponder over her options for a few minutes. "All right. I'll call Sodapop to come get you."

Soda got there twenty minutes later. Ponyboy forgot that he didn't have a car, which meant they both had to walk home. Soda chatted with the nurse for a few minutes while Ponyboy collected his things and then they were off.

"You feelin' okay?" Soda asked on the way home. Ponyboy nodded.

"I'm fine, Soda."

"You sure?" Soda prodded. Ponyboy sighed deeply. Two nose bleeds in one day didn't seem fine to him. It must not have seemed fine to Soda, either.

"Did you tell Darry?"

"Nah," Soda ruffled his hair. "Didn't want him worryin' and then fallin' off a roof or somethin'."

"Fair enough." Pony smiled.

* * *

Soda looked up at the door from the TV as Darry entered. He gave a quick wave, returning his attention to the screen. Darry went to his room and returned a few minutes later, walking past Soda and heading to the kitchen.

"Where's Pony?" He asked.

"Sleepin'."

"It's almost six. Why's he sleepin'?"

Soda got up from the couch and walked over to Ponyboy's backpack, grabbing his science book. He opened it to the bloody pages and went to the kitchen, handing it to Darry.

"What the hell is this?" Darry asked.

"Ponyboy's science book."

"Why's it covered in blood?" Soda tapped his nose.

"Nose bleedin' again?" Darry questioned with a sigh.

"Yup. Had to pick him up from school early."

"Soda, you're not allowed to do that. Why didn't you call me?"

"The nurse called, Dar. Said she needed me to come pick him up. I wasn't gonna make you drive all the way out here. He's fine."

"Still shoulda called me," Darry said, heading out of the kitchen and towards Ponyboy's room. He knocked quietly on the door, loud enough that Ponyboy would hear him if he was awake, but quiet enough that it wouldn't wake him if he was asleep. Ponyboy didn't answer, so Darry pushed open the door, peaking in.

As if on cue, Ponyboy moaned in his sleep. The room was dark except for the light coming from the desk lamp and Darry could only make out Pony's outline. Soda came up behind Darry and then slid past him, walking forward and sitting on the edge of the bed. He rubbed Pony's back until he quieted down again.

"Dar?" Soda asked, filling the silence.

"Yeah?"

Soda was quiet for a moment, hesitant to ask the question he wanted to know. "He's not okay, is he?"

Darry sighed. "I don't think so, little buddy."


End file.
